A Virgin for the Ruthless Duke (In War and Love #2)

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

“ Y ou will do no such thing,” Herbert said passionately, his booming voice echoing through the drawing room. “I will never allow it.”

“Please, do stop screaming, Herbert. You will not change my mind by disturbing the entire household,” Selina replied, busying herself with her embroidery.

“You do not truly want to marry that old man. Apart from the fact that he is way older than you, he is friends with Aunt Martha. That alone disqualifies him, in my opinion.”

“Oh, do try not to be judgmental, Herbert. You hardly know the man to make assumptions about him.” Selina smiled.

She was totally enjoying seeing Herbert upset.

“Neither do you,” he retorted.

Their aunt had a weird taste in friends who were at either end of the spectrum. They were either homely and lively, or they were wild and disreputable. She had yet to decide which part of the extreme Lord Finch belonged to.

“Besides, I’m sure you will not be able to tolerate the man,” Herbert continued. “Not only is he known to be a fool, but he is also too old for you. If his belly protruded any further, he would look like a woman in her ninth month of pregnancy!”

“Herbert!” Selina chastised, fighting to keep her mirth under control. “That was not kind.”

“Well,” Herbert said, opening his arms wide without remorse, “I was just stating the facts. Please tell me you will not marry him.”

“This is not simply about me. I am in no hurry to marry, but I need to if I’m to help Diana’s prospects.”

“Your marriage has nothing to do with Diana’s prospects. The nobleman who wants her will approach her despite whatever stories circulate amongst the ton. Just focus on yourself and carefully choose a suitor.”

“You and I both know that it is easier said than done. While there is a possibility of a suitor approaching Diana, it is highly unlikely. Most members of the ton move like a herd, seeking popular opinion when making decisions on what the latest fashion is, which lady is a good prospect, and which is not.

“From the first day she debuted and that hateful Lord Hightown insinuated that she might be unsuitable for marriage simply because she had a spinster for an older sister, she saw a drastic drop in the signatures on her dance card.

“I love Diana and do not want her to suffer the pain and humiliation that comes with being seen as a spinster. It is a hard, harsh life. If I have to marry Lord Finch to protect her, I will.” Selina released a breath.

“So, when you manage to marry Diana off, what happens to you? Who is going to protect you? Who is going to save you from the miserable life you seem hellbent on signing yourself up for?”

“It won’t be a miserable life. I will have my books, my embroidery… Perhaps I might have children. They would keep me busy for a time. I would live happily, indeed,” she said in a shaky voice, forcing a cheerful note into it that did not sound convincing even to her own ears.

“Then what happens to your love for intelligent conversation and your passion for archeology and adventure? How long will you manage to repress your passions without going mad? You are a passionate woman, Selina. I would hate to see your vibrant light snuffed out by a man who does not understand its value.”

“Unfortunately, that is the plight of women in our society. Very few women are privileged to marry men who love and cherish them and are willing to nurture their passions. The rest of us have to make do with what life gives us. Making a life out of what is available to us. The world—this society—is not kind to unmarried women. There are hardly lucrative jobs for them. It is as if society was designed to frustrate their attempts at independence and make sure that they remained under the thumbs of men—the flow of their lives dependent on the whims of the men they rely on for food and board. I will do anything to protect Diana from suffering such a fate.”

“Selina, you won’t remain unmarried for long. There are many men out there—gentlemen who would be honored to have such an intelligent woman like you as a wife. If, at worst, you remain unmarried, I promise that you will always have a place at the manor, or with me.”

“While Elizabeth is a kind soul and would never complain, I would not stay in her matrimonial home, discomfiting her. And with the way she carries on with Stephen, I am sure that, in no time, they will have a brood of children who would need the rooms in the house,” she said dryly.

“The house had at least twelve bedrooms when I last counted. Surely they could never have that many children?!” Herbert said, his eyes wide with incredulity.

“I would not advise you to bet on that,” Selina said absentmindedly, adding a finishing touch to the rose that had come to life on the handkerchief in her lap.

Herbert was quiet for some time, probably deciding that she was right. But then why would he not agree? Their elder brother was absolutely in love with his wife, and they seemed to have trouble keeping their hands to themselves. In the early days of their marriage, Selina and her other siblings had learned quite quickly not to go into any room the couple might be in without prior warning because the possibility of finding them at several stages of undress was quite high.

While she admired their love and wished to have such a relationship, she understood that such a connection was quite rare. She did have something that resembled such passion with Richard, but he certainly did not love her, and neither was he willing to marry her. Hell, the man was helping her attract a suitor, for goodness’ sake.

Since such love seemed to have eluded her, she was going to turn to practicality and marry an eligible gentleman, at least for her and Diana’s sake.

“I do not care what your reasons are. I will never allow you to marry Lord Finch. I would never give my consent or blessing to such a hellish union,” Herbert continued in the same vehement tone.

“I do not require your permission to marry, Herbert,” Selina said with a chuckle. “Stephen is the Duke, and he is the one who will give my hand away in marriage.”

“Well, I will tell him not to allow you to make such a dreadful mistake.”

“Stephen respects my decision and will allow me to marry when the time comes.”

“Then I will interrupt the wedding,” Herbert said stubbornly, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “I will stand up when they ask who objects to the union.”

“What will you state as your reason?” Selina asked.

“I will make something up. Perhaps I might even insinuate that he forged his title. By the time they manage to fetch a copy of Debrett’s, I will have already escaped with you.”

“You will do no such thing,” Selina said, before throwing her head back and laughing. “Why are you so sure that I will follow you?” she asked between bouts of laughter.

“You will if you know what’s best for you. Would you prefer to bear the embarrassment alone?”

He raised an eyebrow with mock seriousness, causing her to laugh even louder.

“I’m serious, Selina,” he said when their mirth died down. “I do not want you to marry that man.”

“And why would you not want her to marry?” Diana asked, breezing in like sunlight. Her fair hair and youthful skin glowed, offset by the crimson color of her gown.

“I never said I did not want her to marry. It is her choice of husband that I am against.”

“And what is wrong with him?” Diana asked, furrowing her brow with concern.

Herbert opened his mouth to answer, but promptly snapped it shut when Selina shot him a glare. It was obvious that she did not want Diana to worry.

“Herbert is just worried,” she spoke up, injecting a cheerful note into her voice. “He wants me to make a love match. I was just informing him that such matches are rare and not everyone is fortunate to make such a match, especially women.”

“Herbert, you are a good brother,” Diana said.

Herbert’s cheeks flushed with pleasure, but she soured his good mood with her next statement.

“But Selina is a grown woman capable of making her own decisions. She has the right to make her own choices. Besides, who would not love her? She is so nice and beautiful. I would be happy to attend another wedding in this house. Stephen’s wedding was lovely, even with all the tension in the air. I should hope that Selina’s would be free of such drama.”

Selina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She loved Diana, but her sister was prone to daydreaming, and she did not always seem to be in touch with reality. It was just like her to be talking about planning a wedding when Selina wasn’t yet sure of receiving a marriage proposal.

“I think we might be getting ahead of ourselves here…” she began.

“I would never support a terrible marriage, no matter how grand the wedding is,” Herbert muttered, before getting up to leave.

The moment he stepped out of the room, Diana’s smile dropped, and she came to take his place beside Selina on the settee. She took her sister’s free hand in both of her own, forcing Selina to look at her in surprise.

Gone was the happy, carefree expression that she showed the world, and in its place was the expression of worry and wisdom that seemed to exceed her years.

“You seem to have some suitors whom you hope might propose marriage. It is my sincere hope that you will choose someone good for yourself even if it is not a love match. I do wish for a love match for you, but I am not so na?ve that I do not know that it is rare.

“You have been like a mother since Mama and Papa died, and for that reason, you have been forced to mature faster than you should, sacrifice more than you should. I will not allow you to sacrifice your happiness for my sake this time. I will be very angry with you if I find out that you did. I might even help Herbert ruin the wedding.”

“Just how long did you eavesdrop?” Selina asked, a chastising look on her face.

“Long enough,” Diana replied, studiously avoiding her gaze.

“Dearest Diana,” Selina began, patting the back of her sister’s hand. “I’m sure you know me well enough to know that I will always be practical in my decision-making. I would never make a decision that would be bad for me, I promise you that,” she said, keeping her tone as reassuring as possible.

Diana kept hold of her hand as she searched her eyes carefully for any signs of deception.

Everyone thought that Diana’s bright personality made her less sensitive to other people’s emotions. However, she was sensitive to every shift in emotion in every room.

It was why she had struggled in the early days of Stephen’s marriage, when the tension that came with him marrying the daughter of their former enemy underlined the time they spent together as a family. She had also been the first to accept Elizabeth into their family despite her lineage.

Diana seemed satisfied with whatever she had seen in Selina’s eyes because, in the next moment, she stretched. “I need to take a nap. I do not want to nod off at the ball this evening,” she said, before leaving the room and Selina alone with her thoughts.

Not for the first time, Selina envied the ease with which Diana conducted her life—pushing worry aside for what was important to her. She had been the bright sunshine that had kept them sane at home after they had buried their parents following their gruesome murder.

She was the only reason why their family remained together despite the tragedy they had endured. That was why she deserved nothing but the best, and Selina was going to make sure that her sister got it, even if it was the last thing she did.

That evening, while she prepared for the ball, sitting still while Betsy brushed out and styled her hair, she planned her entrance with the concentration and strategy that a war commander might use to plan a siege.

She had to be flawless in both appearance and carriage. She had been reading books about deportment in her free time, and she was confident that she had gleaned enough knowledge to keep her afloat for a night in the ballroom.

She was going to be the enchanting noblewoman that Richard wanted her to be, so much so that everyone’s eyes would be on her, including his. Knowing that he was going to be watching her ensured that she took special care with her appearance.

Tonight, she had chosen a crimson-colored evening dress that would make her the center of attention. The color might not be favored amongst unmarried ladies, but it had been years since she had been a debutante. She wagered she had earned the right to dress how she saw fit.

Just as she had predicted, her entrance into the room that night was accompanied by a hush, as the eyes of everyone in the room swiveled to her. The intensity of their gazes stirred nervousness in her belly, and she could feel her fingers curling as they tried to grab onto the fabric of her dress.

She forced herself to keep her hands folded in front of her waist. Keeping her smile in place, she stepped into the room and made her way to the vacant seat in the dining room. The gentleman sitting to her right stood up and pulled her chair out for her.

“Thank you, My Lord,” she said, smiling graciously to the chivalrous gentleman.

He was the Earl of Pembroke, an eligible bachelor in his own right.

“My pleasure,” he replied with a charming smile. “It is a privilege to be in the company of such a beautiful lady like you.”

While Selina was sure that line was used several times to deceive many unsuspecting young ladies, she still found herself blushing in response. After all, which lady did not like to be told that she was beautiful?

“Thank you, My Lord. You flatter me so,” she said, making sure to cast glances at him from under her lashes like she had seen many ladies do.

“I always tell the truth. My apologies, My Lady. I do not know your name. Do you mind telling me?”

“I do not think we have been introduced, My Lord. I am Selina, the younger sister of the Duke of Westall.”

“Jefferson at your service, My Lady,” he said, taking one of her gloved hands in his and placing a kiss on it.

The dinner had only just begun, but Selina knew it was going to be an exciting one. She could feel Richard’s eyes on them from where he sat at the opposite end of the table, which added an undercurrent of excitement to her pleasure.

Perhaps she might enjoy this dinner if only she could banish the memory of his kiss and how it felt from her mind.